Prank Wars, Game On is the first in a new series created collaboratively by Louise Park & Mo Johnson, with Jules Faber supplying the visuals. All three have a long list of previous publications in the bag, though Park leads having written several hugely successful junior fiction and middle grade series including Boy vs Beast and Zac Power (under pen names). The concept of a ‘prank war’ gives the creators a licence to get super silly, and young readers are going to love it.

Siblings Hannah and Jake Vann-Wong live on Caper Street (the clue is in the name). Their life is a little out of the ordinary at the best of times, having an inventor for a dad, but things go totally next level when the Cruelly family moves in across the road. Wild voice transformations and burp-making, butt-baring incidents are plaguing the school; ‘pranks’, but with supernatural force. Behind the japes is an ancient battle of good vs evil, secret agents with secret powers, and a magical portal into spy headquarters that is accessed…from the linen cupboard?

This book is fast paced big fun with cartoon-style illustrations breaking up the text to include listicles, secret agent ID screens, gadgetry and the antics of a particularly wonderful dog. It’s targeted at readers 8+, which always depends on reading levels, but content-wise it’s for kids who like cheeky stories balanced with a bit of heart. In addition to the cringe-worthy, gross-out shenanigans, there’s a lot here about sibling relationships, finding solutions to quirky problems, and working together as a family. Though the kids lead the story, the Vann-Wong parents and grandma are central, with their own backstories and hero journeys, which feels fresh. And while the concepts of pranking and revenge are relatable for young readers, thankfully the wild nature of these incidents makes them tricky to inflict on actual friends or teachers!

Larrikin House 2024.

Louise Park

Jules Faber

Lara Cain Gray is the author of the recently published The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books.